Skiing: Learning Into Action

I clearly remember when i first skied: i looked down what can only have been the most gentle of slopes, carefully thought through my training, and launched myself off, determined to snowplough with great grace in sweeping aaaaarrrrrrgggghhhh…

So my brain froze in panic, i lined my skis straight down the hill and hurtled forward with gathering speed until a convenient bank of snow stopped me. It appears that there is a difference between formal learning and application in the moment.

The key to skiing is commitment: lean forward, not back, launch yourself instead of overthinking it. But you learn that with practice: you learn that the edges of the skis do, in fact, bite into the slope if you commit, holding you firmly in place. If you don’t commit, you fail faster.

The blog is largely on holiday this week, skiing in Canada.